Metro Health Reports On Continuing Syphilis Epidemic - The City of San Antonio - Official City Website

San Antonio enjoys a diverse industry portfolio that continues to strengthen and build upon the city's historic economic base. Diverse industry strengths have emerged in recent years, making San Antonio one of the most recession resistant economies in the country. Combining the global connections with a focus on jobs and investments the City seeks to create a globally competitive and internationally connected economic development environment that supports entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes toward investment and job creation.

The Mayor and City Council are the community’s key decision makers. They focus on: the provision and efficiency of basic services; their district’s growth; capital improvement projects; land use and development; the city’s financial growth and economic development; and other important issues. Council members focus on how City policies not only meet the needs of their constituents, but also how they meet the goals of the entire community.

The 2014 City of San Antonio Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration marks the 27th anniversary of the City's celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. King. Join one of the largest marches and commemorations in the U.S. aimed at honoring and continuing Dr. King's legacy.

San Antonio is an amazing place. Throughout the SA 2020 process, you proved it by showing up in droves on weeknights and Saturdays to dream about our city`s future. At a time when other big American cities reflect the skeptical chords of our national discourse, we had local CEOs sitting side-by-side with grassroots activists in a dialogue that looked like folks chatting over the backyard fence.

Located just below the headwaters of the San Antonio River, Brackenridge Park and the surrounding area has been a gathering place since prehistoric times. There is evidence of human visitation and occupation extending back at least 11,000 years. Native American artifacts dating as early as 9200 B.C. have been found in the Olmos Basin and near Hildebrand Avenue. The Japanese Tea Garden, San Antonio Zoo and Sunken Garden Theatre are located at Brackenridge Park.

Luminaria is San Antonio's annual celebration of art and artists. Held in March and overseen by San Antonio's creative leaders, it is free of charge and showcases all art forms in an outdoor setting and inside various venues downtown. Luminaria spotlights San Antonio's cultural assets for local citizens and visitors alike.

News

Communications and Public Affairs: 207-7234
Published on Monday, March 31, 2014

Metro Health Reports On Continuing Syphilis Epidemic

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District presented today the latest data on the syphilis epidemic gripping San Antonio. According to preliminary data, the total number of syphilis cases increased 15.2 percent in 2013, with 1,070 reported cases compared to 929 in 2012. The number of syphilis cases acquired within a year of diagnosis increased 14.4 percent, from 569 in 2012 to 651 in 2013.

The rate of congenital syphilis in Bexar County in 2013 remains 8 times higher than the 2012 national average and is the highest rate among the large urban areas in Texas. The number of congenital syphilis cases in 2013 went down from 18 to 17. When untreated, congenital syphilis, passes from the infected mother to the baby during pregnancy, causes life-long, incurable disabilities such as blindness, seizures, severe learning disabilities and is frequently fatal.

During 2013, 7 babies with congenital syphilis were born in the Methodist Hospital system, 7 in the Baptist Hospital system, And one each at UHS, Santa Rosa, and Southwest General Hospital. The San Antonio Military Medical Center, a busy birthing hospital, has not had a congenital syphilis case in several years.

While the rate of congenital syphilis remains extremely high, in 2013 there were fewer teenage mothers giving birth to infected babies. There were also fewer stillborns Minority women, however, continued to be the most affected. Hispanic and African-Americans comprised 94 percent of all women giving birth to congenital syphilis infants for the last two consecutive years.

In 2013, the rate of primary and secondary syphilis infections in men was six fold that of women. The prevalence of primary and secondary syphilis in African-Americans was 3.3 times higher than in Hispanics and 2.7 times higher as compared to white, non-Hispanics.

“San Antonio’s syphilis epidemic is now in its ninth year of continuous growth. The 17 babies born with congenital syphilis in 2013 are exceeded only by the 18 babies born in 2012. Only a deeply committed collaboration between Metro Health and local health care practitioners can halt this terrible plague,” said Dr. Thomas Schlenker, director of Metro Health. “Metro Health will apply new resources to reach high risk populations, will initiate mobile screening and treatment in the field, will offer school-based instruction and will case manage thru birth all pregnant women who present to the Metro Health STD Clinic. In addition, we ask each of the 12 local birthing hospitals to document for 2013 what proportion of the women who delivered were tested for syphilis during their third trimester, to set improvement goals for 2014 and to implement a plan suitable for their institution to reach those goals.”